GIS and Plone

First off, Plone is an open source content management system built on Zope (a Web Application Framework). Zope has been updated from v2 to v3, offering up more funcationality/goodies for Plone. I hear about Plone from Sean Gillies now and again, but found it popping up in other places with regard to GIS.

A code sprint (just like it sounds - bunch of programmers together code in focused fashion to get something done) held hear in Boston highlighted a few Plone users including Oxfam and the Nature Conservancy. Per InfoWorld, NC is very interested in how GIS data will be managed with Plone, specifically with regard to a new offering Plone4Artists aimed at portal development. Some folks think Plone and GIS will go together well.

David Siedband is a Plone developer who’s been working with environmental groups at the grassroots level. While a large entity such as The Nature Conservancy may move slowly in adopting new technologies, state and local groups can respond much more quickly and may not be subject to the same legal restrictions in terms of sharing land data. Those groups are moving ahead with embracing audio and video and when new forays into technology prove successful, those moves can “bubble up from the field” and later be taken on by the likes of The Nature Conservancy, Siedband and [Sally] Kleinfeldt [senior technology architect, technology and information systems, The Nature Conservency] noted.

I’ve not worked with Plone (so far as I know) but have worked, as an end-user, with open source Drupal, another content management system that’s gaining ground, and even has WMS support.